From the Bride... Ryan and I met 10 years ago on one of our first days of college. After almost nine years of dating and two-and-a-half years of planning our wedding, the one thing that continually inspired us throughout the process was wanting to plan the absolute best party for our guests that had been with us throughout our relationship. We kept our friends and family in the forefront of our decisions knowing that this is a one-of-a-kind occasion where you have everyone that you love most – both sides of the family and friends from every stage of life – in the same room.

One of the first decisions we made was choosing Bedell Cellars as our venue. I spent my summers in Long Island and can remember visiting the North Fork vineyards with my parents and grandparents from a young age, so I knew that the location would be the North Fork. We visited a lot of vineyards, but the first time I saw the oak tree at Bedell, I knew that was where I would get married. The feeling that most brides have when they try on their wedding dress is the exact way I felt when I stood there.

Everything that came after was a direct reflection of the natural beauty and rustic space that Bedell offers. We chose blush, green, and white as our colors, not only because they’re my favorites, but because they perfectly highlighted the space without taking away from it. Aside from the French country inspired centerpieces, candles were placed all over the pavilion, and they added the best warm, twinkle of light in all of our pictures!

Planning a wedding taking place on Long Island while living in Boston during my last year of law school and studying for the bar exam started to feel like a destination wedding! I knew that one of the most important things was having vendors that I could rely on and that would work seamlessly together. My wedding planner, Jessi, was second to none! Without Jessi (and my mom) the night certainly wouldn’t have come together like it did. She has an eye for every last detail, the most helpful tips, and is such a calming presence when things get crazy! Hamptons Aristocrat provided the most amazing food and unique service that you can get at a wedding. The Dylan Matthews Band from Hank Lane was an absolute highlight for us and our guests. Absolutely everyone was on the dance floor the whole night! It was amazing seeing all of our guests having such a blast! Lindsay Madden and Kristen Kiraly captured our day in pictures and on video in a way that will make sure that we never forget a single moment – even the moments that we didn’t get to witness ourselves. We couldn’t be more grateful to have every emotional, sentimental, and hilarious moment to look back on. If there is one piece of advice I would give all brides its to go with your gut when choosing your vendors. I picked all of mine based off of the feeling I got during the initial phone calls and definitely didn’t go wrong with any of them! When you can trust your vendors, you’re able to enjoy the planning process so much more. Instead of getting caught up in every last detail, I knew I could rely my vendors to guide me in the right direction, and I was able to enjoy every last second of our wedding. It truly was the best day ever!